Eurobarometer trends and trend files

A large number of questions asked in standard Eurobarometer surveys have been replicated more or less regularly over time. They refer to European Union topics (e.g. attitudes towards the European unification, EU institutions and policies) and to general socio-cultural or socio-political orientations (e.g. political participation, trust in institutions, cultural identity, ...). They are complemented by standard demographic referring to the respondent, the household and to the locality.

For some indicators such as "satisfaction with democracy performance", more than 50 measures are available since the early seventies (e.g. Angelika Scheuer: Demokratiezufriedenheit in Deutschland sinkt unter EU-Niveau, in ISI No. 33, January 2005).

Researchers are supported in using raw data for calculating time series or other comparative analysis through:

List of main trends 1970 ff. - detailed continuity guide for selected standard Eurobarometer trend questions
Mannheim Eurobarometer Trend File 1970-2002 - cumulative data set based on selected major trends
European Election Study 1994 - cumulative data set with relevant questions out of four Eurobarometer waves
Central & Eastern Eurobarometer 1990-1997 - cumulative data set based on the complete survey series

Simple results for standard EU trends can be retrieved from the European Commisson's interactive trend question database:

Eurobarometer Interactive Search System - relative frequencies by country for 43 long trends (current time period 1973-2001) in text or chart format

Country and EU results for 27 trend variables up to Eurobaromerter 42 have also been published in a special report:

European Commission (1995): Eurobarometer. Public Opinion in the European Union. Trends 1974-1994. Brussels.